Honeymoon in the Wild
by Creme Caramel
Summary: Antonio and Rosella decide to spend their honeymoon on an island in the South Seas. And since Antonio has traveled to so many places, he thinks he will have no problem living on an island for 7 days. Only reality can prove how wrong he is. Discontinued.
1. Adapting to the new environment

Chapter 1: Adapting to the new environment

Antonio and Rosella were on their ship waving goodbye to their wedding guests as the ship began to sail away, heading to the island in the South Seas.

But first, let's get to know why they were heading there in the first place.

It turned out that after spending several weeks in Apollonia, Rosella was starting to miss her old home on the island. So she suggested they spent their honeymoon there.

Being an adventurous traveler, Antonio immediately agreed, thinking this would be a great opportunity for him to get to know his wife's former living environment and at the same time further explore the island, as he didn't get to do it the last time. And there they were, on a ship going back to the tropical island.

"I'm so glad you agreed for us to spend our honeymoon there" Rosella said. "The animals really need to spend some time in the wild."

Oh, yes, there was one thing he didn't expect in this "honeymoon". Animals. Right, animals. Something told him this would be an unusual honeymoon.

And so they spent another several hours on the ship, with Antonio alienated from Rosella and the animals, as he was the only person on the ship beside the captain who couldn't talk to animals.

He certainly felt left out, but he was happy enough to see her happy. It was like all the pain she had to suffer while she was in Apollonia had disappeared. Once again, he saw the old Rosella. Happy and carefree. Exactly how she was when he first met her. It was like that was where she truly belonged, in the wild.

He ceased his thought as soon as he realized he was thinking about it. He knew he'd been avoiding this matter for a while. Antonio knew better than anyone else that Rosella had a hard time fitting in. When he first took her to the civilization, she even had thoughts of going back to the island just a few hours after stepping on the land of Apollonia. Now that she was back in the wild again, what if she wouldn't want to come back anymore? Antonio loved traveling, but the idea of spending the rest of his life on an isolated island didn't sound fascinating.

To keep his head busy and his thoughts away from the problem, Antonio checked his list of supplies one last time. Right, to make their stay more convenient, he took some time to prepare himself. A tent to sleep in, some extra clothes, a knife just in case. Those were the stuff he always prepared for his voyages.

And while he was still keeping himself occupied with the list of necessities, Rosella had already seen the island from the deck. The view wasn't clear, it was obscured with clouds, but that was enough for her to recognize the place she called home for 10 years.

"Finally… I'm back." She could feel the cool breeze blowing her hair. She believed it was the island that sent the wind there to welcome her back. "I miss this place so much. It felt like I've been away forever. Isn't it wonderful, Antonio?"

Silence. She turned around. "Antonio?"

Shaken from his thoughts, the young prince finally realized his wife was calling him. "Yes?"

"We're here." She said with delight. Antonio came closer to her to get a better look.

"That's right. Are you happy?" He put a hand on her waist and enjoyed the cool breeze coming from the island with her.

"Of course I am! And I'm sure we're going to have a great time there!" She giggled as he kissed her forehead.

"Sure. I can hardly wait for this adventure to begin."

When they arrived, Rosella was the first to step on the beach, followed by the trio of her animal friends.

Antonio soon followed them. The fresh air of the island seemed to wash his anxiety away. He felt so refreshed he almost forgot about his 'necessities', until the captain called him.

"Your highnesss… I believe this is yours" He handed Antonio his big leather bag containing everything he planned for the trip.

"Oh, yes… Thank you." He threw the bag over his shoulder and got ready to go. Until he felt his bag got unusually heavy. He turned to see Rosella holding his bag back with a disapproving look on her face.

"What's wrong, Ro?" He asked, a bit surprised at her expression.

She didn't answer. Instead, she gently took the bag from his shoulder and handed it back to the captain, who also seemed surprised.

"Take it back with you, captain" She said, to Antonio's further surprise.

"But Rosella… These are our supplies! I got a tent, a knife and a…" Antonio protested.

"But we won't need them here!" Rosella smiled. "Please captain, just take these back to Apollonia with you. We'll be fine on our own. And remember to come back for us in 7 days."

After moments of debate, the two men finally gave in to Rosella's decision. The ship then sailed away, and the couple with their animals began their journey, happy and excited to be away from the usual noise in the kingdom.

Well, maybe not everyone is happy. Antonio felt a bit worried. He had never traveled without his leather bag before. Somehow he knew this was going to be harder than he expected.

"_Oh come on Antonio, you can't call yourself a traveler if you depend on these things. Besides, this is a good challenge for you, right?"_ In the midst of the panicking, a faint voice inside his head told him. Temporarily regaining his confidence, he was ready to face whatever this trip had to offer.

But after a while, the sky got darker and darker it was almost impossible to see where they were going. The group decided to call it a day.

"It's getting late" Rosella noted. "Looks like we'll have to postpone our plans to tomorrow morning. For now, let's just find somewhere to rest. And I know just the place."

She led them to a rocky place outside of the jungle, near the cliff and overlooking the ocean. The view was generally nice. Antonio was glad they got a decent sleeping place. Maybe this honeymoon won't be so bad after all.

But he was wrong. The sleeping thing actually turned out to be more frustrating than he thought. He tried to sleep on the ground, but something just felt wrong. He was afraid of sleeping alone on the ground. Maybe sleeping on the tree with the rest would be better.

He took 10 minutes to climb on the tree, waking everyone up in the process. And finally, he found a good branch to sleep on. Wait. His problems weren't over. In his previous voyages, he always slept in a tent. Always. Never on a tree. That was why he was struggling so hard to keep balance.

"Almost there… Just put my feet here, yes, there… Okay! I think I'm good now." After spending another half an hour trying to find the best position, he learned to sleep on a tree without worrying he might fall off. This was when he encountered another challenge: The terrible snoring of the animals. Unbelievable.

Antonio resigned to the fact that he might have to stay up all night. He sat on the edge of the cliff and decided to enjoy the sound of the waves washing into the shore. It was a beautiful scenery. He just wished he had someone to share it with.

"What's wrong, Antonio? Can't you sleep?" Rosella came sitting next to him, as if she could read the thoughts locked deep in his mind.

"Rosella" He acknowledged her presence. "Why aren't you sleeping? It's late already."

"Well, I couldn't sleep with you struggling on the tree like that" She laughed.

"I'm sorry." He felt guilty for disturbing her sleep. It was one of the things he was strictly against; disturbing someone while they're asleep. "I guess I still have a lot to learn about living in the wild. I have so much to learn from you before I can call myself a true explorer."

"You'll get used to this very soon. Trust me. I know." Rosella put her hand on his. "You'll see. This won't be as bad as it looks. Things will get better, and I'm sure that in the end, you won't regret going on this trip."

"Yes, I hope so. Just remember this isn't just 'a trip'. This is our honeymoon. And by 'honeymoon', I mean we'll have a lot to do together. In privacy." He glanced at the sleeping animals on the tree.

"I know, I know." Rosella laughed. "So, mind if I stay up with you?"

Antonio gazed at his wife with adoration. Marrying her was truly the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Sure." He nodded.

And they sat quietly like that, until the sunrise.


	2. Slowly Falling Apart

**A/N: I know, I know, I haven't updated in ages. I'm still not dead, don't worry. I was just busy with college applications and stuff. And working on 3 other fanfics, two of which are now stuck. Anyway, here's chapter 2, and I hope you all enjoy it and please tell me what you think!**

Chapter 2: Slowly Falling Apart

Rosella couldn't believe that it was already one hour past sunrise and Antonio still hadn't woken up yet.

"We'll stay up all night together". Right. He began snoring 10 minutes after making that statement, she recalled.

She didn't feel annoyed, though; she understood that he needed some rest after burning all his calories on tree climbing the previous night. And what scared her the most was the hunch that their problems weren't over yet. Antonio obviously still had a rough week in front of him. If things kept going this way, the whole trip would be ruined.

Rosella was worrying about how the next few days on the island would turn out for them when an idea struck her: That's it! She could teach him the basics of jungle life! After all, how hard could it be? She'd been through all of this herself, and it had gone pretty well. Why hadn't that idea occurred to her before?

"Don't worry, I'll help you get used to this life. You'll see, it'll be fun. And for you, it'll be easier, since we're only here for a short time…" Her last words sounded almost like a whisper. Rosella knew she had been avoiding this for a while, but the truth was, she missed her life on the island. What if she would never be able to return here, once the royal duties start to catch up?

"_That'll never happen. Antonio knows how much you love this place. He'll surely let us spend a week here once a year."_ She tried to reassure herself, while gazing at the sleeping Antonio. _"Well, not if he doesn't like being here. More reasons for me to help him adapt."_

Suddenly, she heard someone making their way to her from behind the bushes. As the noise got clearer, Rosella recognized who it was: Tika, her elephant best friend.

"Are you coming, Ro?" She asked.

"Where to, Tika?" Rosella couldn't recall exactly what Tika meant. Deep in her mind, she began to realize she had forgotten something important, but still didn't know exactly what.

Tika seemed slightly surprised.

"To the river, of course! You promised we would go swimming as soon as we get here!"

Oh, right. She _did_ forget about that. She had promised Tika she would teach her how to swim, having seen how badly the baby elephant dealt after they had been thrown overboard. But the sheer joy of being able to return to her home had been so overwhelming she had clean forgotten about it.

But even if she had managed to remember their appointment, she still had more important problems to deal with: Antonio's so far unsuccessful adaptation to the wildlife. Which could either mean the end of their visits to the island or a ruined honeymoon. Rosella knew it was time to redefine her priorities, no matter how guilty she felt.

"Oh, Tika. I'm so sorry" She began with a voice that almost sounded like she was pleading, "but as you see, I don't think I can make it today. You can ask Sagi to help you; he's an excellent swimmer."

Rosella could clearly see jealousy filling inside of Tika's big blue eyes. Her friend frowned. Those were the harbingers of an anger tantrum. Rosella had grown up with Tika's tantrums she eventually got used to them and even found ways to calm her friend down everytime. Everytime except this time. That was why Rosella kept hoping Tika wouldn't start her tantrum right away, since it would only worsen the situation.

As for Tika, she'd always had a feeling something had been changing between them since their arrival in Apollonia. Ro had somehow… changed. She wasn't her tree-swinging friend Ro anymore, she had become a somewhat ladylike Princess Rosella with impeccable manners and a serious attitude. She was aware that Ro only did that because her new Royal responsibilities demanded her to, but deep inside, the fear of losing a friend didn't cease.

"But… Ro! You've never broken any of your promises before! What made you change your mind?" Tika asked nervously. Her gaze then traveled to Antonio, and a frown appeared on her face.

"It's about him again, isn't it? Even when we finally get to spend quality time together as friends, something we haven't done in ages, you're still choosing him over me?" Tika's voice raised several octaves, but still not enough to wake Antonio up.

"Calm down, Tika." Rosella whispered in a comforting voice as she reached out to stroke the elephant's head. "This won't take long, I promise. We can still make it to the river in the afternoon. Or tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow."

Tika seemed to have calmed down a bit. She thought about what her friend just said, and suddenly became cheerful again.

"In the afternoon… Then you'd better get started! Oh, why is he still sleeping? Is sleeping the only thing princes like him and Azul are concerned about? Always the same old complaint about not getting enough 'beauty sleep'. Don't worry Ro, I'll wake him up for you." With that Tika ran off before Rosella could fully process what she had said.

The Island Princess shook her head, and a faint smile appeared on her lips_. "Tika is still Tika"_, she thought, and then began to wake Antonio up.

"Get up now, Antonio. It's a beautiful day on a tropical island and you're missing everything by sleeping in." She gently nudged him. No response.

"Antonio? Rise and shine, we got a lot to d… Tika? What are you doing?" Rosella looked up just as she saw Tika coming back.

The elephant didn't answer. Instead, she made her way toward Antonio.

"No, wait! Tika! Don't do that!" Rosella tried to stop her as she realized her intentions, but it was too late.

Antonio was in the middle of a dream. He was traveling on a ship. Then he suddenly felt the desire to have a better view of the sea. He climbed up the mast and leaned towards. Then he lost his balance and fell overboard, right into the cold sea water that seemed so friendly and beautiful when viewed from the ship.

"Tika!" Rosella gave her friend a disapproving look, after Tika had finished pouring water on Antonio.

"There. Problem solved. Sometimes you just have to do it the hard way." She chuckled mischievously. "See you in the afternoon, Ro. Don't break your promise this time."

"I won't." Rosella assured, then turned to look at Antonio, who was completely wet, but at least awake. She covered her mouth, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Sorry about Tika. She's just playing around. You know how childish she is." She explained as Antonio continued to moan.

"You two had better have a good reason for waking me up like this" Though he sounded like he was threatening, Rosella knew well Antonio himself found the whole situation a bit funny.

"Isn't 'you're wasting your time on a beautiful island' good enough a reason?"

"Right. I was just too tired last night. I think I'm okay now, though." He replied and let out a yawn.

She decided to jump right to the matter, while he was still sleepy and not thinking clear. That might increase her chances of convincing him to try to learn jungle life.

"Antonio, I saw you with that tree last night… And I think you might need help. From a professional."

"Well, I don't think I…" Antonio began, but Rosella cut him off.

"It's gonna be fun. And I guarantee you won't have to wrestle with that tree ever again."

"How is that possible?" He asked, confused again. What was Rosella planning to do with him? Magically transform him into some kind of spiderman using one of those crazy tribal magic tricks he once read about in a book?

"You see, to survive on an island without any help from the 'civilization', you need skills. Tricks. Which aren't very hard to learn if you try your best." Rosella straightened herself up and began walking to and fro and spoke to him as if she were his teacher and he was her pupil. Antonio could see she was certainly enjoying playing this role.

"Sounds great. I mean, I think I'll do anything to be able to sleep well tonight." He answered her. "What skills do you have to teach me?"

o0o

"I'm not doing this." Antonio said as he gazed at the steep cliff right in front of him. Turned out Rosella's idea was to make him climb that cliff and jump off to test his athletic skills and develop a good excercising plan. She also said it helped relieve stress. But Antonio thought the exact opposite.

He had no idea how painfully torturing his muscles then jumping off a cliff, which could have been suicide if it hadn't been for the water below, could be 'the best way to relieve stress', in Rosella's words.

Nevertheless, he opted to try and see if her plan would work, as he had no other choice. He took in a deep breath, then deliberately grabbed onto the rock and started climbing.

Things didn't go well. Antonio barely moved upwards at all, and even lost balance once or twice. After two hours, he decided to call it a day.

"Uhm… Rose? Time-out, okay? My muscles are screaming for help" Antonio called to Rosella, who was falling asleep out of sheer boredom.

"Eh? What? Ah, yes…" Rosella slowly regained consciousness. "Well, I think you should… Take off that thing around your waist. I can see it's made of rocks; it's slowing you down."

"You mean my belt?"

"Yeah, I suppose, if that's what you call it." She replied with an indifferent expression on her face. Surely Rosella never cared how those accessories were called.

"I can't do that. That 'thing around my waist' is the only thing that keeps my pants where they're suppose to be." He insisted. After all, who would ever want to do that in front of their newly married wife?

"Antonio, you're on an inhabited island, not having tea with the queen. I thought we could have more fun and… live more comfortably here." She said, oblivious to his embarrassment and seemingly unaware that her words just made her sound like an uneducated young girl in normal people's eyes.

"No! I won't do that, Rosella! I'm trying to be civilized here! I can't act like some kind of jungle man." Having lost his patience, Antonio yelled at Rosella.

Seeing her face, Antonio knew he had just made a horrible mistake. Rosella might seem too carefree and oblivious to basic manners to other people sometimes, but he understood that it was just the way she was, just the way she was brought up. Other than that, she didn't mean anything offensive. She just… still had a lot more to learn about the human world.

Rosella didn't say a word, turned around on her heels and quickly walked away. Antonio slipped from the cliff and ran after her, grabbing her wrist. She was forced to stop, as his grip tightened and held her back.

"Listen, Rosella… I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean to upset you. It's just… everything's been rough for me. I guess I just don't have the patience to face these challenges as you do." He quietly apologized.

Rosella sighed. There was a long pause between them, before she spoke again.

"Alright… I guess that's enough for today. Just head back to the… what do you call it again?"

"Camp." He told her.

"Right. Camp. I have to go and teach Tika how to swim, otherwise she would stay mad at me for the rest of the week. See you tonight, Antonio." She said, and walked away from him, heading toward the river.

"_Antonio doesn't want to hurt you… He's just… strained. You know that better than anyone else. About that… He'll learn. We can do it, can't we? I can't just let him ruin our honeymoon and hate this place so much he'll never let me visit it ever again."_

"_What a stupid move that was, Antonio. You just upset your wife right during your honeymoon. As if things weren't bad enough. Come on, Antonio, you need to learn all of this! Sure it's not going to be easy, but has anything in your life come easy? You need to convince her to stop hating the civilized world, and for that to happen, you need to appreciate her world! We can do this, can't we?"_

Antonio and Rosella, each walking in an opposite direction, became steeped in their thoughts as the second day on the island came to an end.


	3. A Day With The Animals

Chapter 3: A day with the Animals

The next day, Antonio woke up early, though he could hardly call it waking, as he hadn't had much sleep the previous night. As soon as he began to move, he felt a crick in the neck from sleeping in an uncomfortable position without moving an inch all night. In a tree. But at least he managed to balance himself in the tree without falling over. That's making progress.

Antonio sighed as the memories of the previous day came back to him. He hadn't mean for it to go that far, but somehow things got out of control. What if he had hurt her feelings? What if he had just ruined the most special time that newlyweds spend together? So many 'what if's kept bothering him. He had to talk to her, apologize to her, make amends, anything. He needed to…

"Remember the cave where we used to play? We haven't been there in ages! How about we go there now? I'm not doing anything important today." He looked down to see his wife smiling happily at her friends as if nothing serious had happened.

Right. One sentence to change his mind. Not doing anything important? Wasn't the honeymoon itself important enough for her? He was beginning to think perhaps marriage was still a hard concept for her to grasp. She was used to living that way… but even those seemingly convincing reassurances couldn't help defeat the feelings of jealousy in Antonio's heart. He didn't like the idea of being in second place in Rosella's heart. He loved her, and love was always somewhat selfish. It caused him to become jealous of the animals, whom his wife treated as family.

Wait, was he beginning to pay attention to such trivial things? Summer heat must have got to him.

With that jealous feeling still nagging him, maybe today wasn't exactly a good time to talk things out. Antonio decided to explore the island instead. And this time, he would go alone, just to have some time to himself and clear his mind.

"Rosella," He called. The girl stopped playing with the animals to look at him. "I think I'll be heading to the other side of the island to… check some things… out. Maybe enjoy sometime alone. Okay?"

"Fine. Enjoy yourself. Just don't get in trouble," She replied casually, a faint smile creeping up her face.

"I won't."

And with that, he walked away.

But Rosella was sure sooner or later he would get in trouble_. If_ _Antonio doesn't find trouble, trouble will find him_. That's what she learned from the past two days ever since they stepped foot on the island. She decided to send him a company, just in case something happened.

"Tika?" She reached out to the elephant. "Can you please follow him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid?"

The elephant looked at her with a look of total disbelief.

"You want me to babysit your husband?" She blurted out.

Rosella frowned at Tika's use of words, but nodded nevertheless. "Pretty much."

"But he's _your_ husband! Why don't _you_ go and babysit him?" Tika protested vehemently.

"But he wants to be alone," Rosella elaborated. "Knowing Antonio, I'm pretty sure by 'alone', he means 'away from me'. Which is understandable, considering all that happened yesterday wasn't a very pleasant experience."

"Can't you ask Sagi? Or…" Tika tried to reason with her best friend, but Rosella already put up a begging face, one that she knew too well Tika wouldn't be able to refuse. She gave in. "Fine. I'll do it. But you owe me this time, Ro."

"Tika, you're the best." Rosella said as Tika walked away, mumbling something about her unwillingness to do the task she had just been assigned.

After a few minutes, Tika finally caught up with Antonio, who almost immediately realized the reason behind her presence.

"Rosella must have sent you to watch me," He complained. "There goes my solitude."

Why didn't she trust him? Sure he wasn't used to living in the wild, but he was old enough to take care of himself.

"Something tells me this is going to be a long week…" Antonio sighed for what seemed like the millionth time today. "I agreed to come here with her so that we could spend some time together. So that I could get to know her better and the world she used to live in for ten years…"

Tika listened to him without saying a word, knowing he wouldn't understand her anyway.

"Before I came here, I always thought she was happy living with me in Apollonia. But now, I'm not so sure anymore. She seems so distant. She also seems so happy to be living here again. What if my fears come true? What if she doesn't want to go back anymore?"

Upon hearing this, Tika felt a tiny drop of empathy. She felt like in a way, she understood him, because that had been the same for her the first time she arrived in Apollonia. Everything was so different, everyone looked just like Ro, and no one looked like her. Ro seemed happy to blend in with the society, while all she did was struggle in a world full of people and cope with the fear of losing her best friend. Maybe, just maybe, they weren't so different, after all…

"You're really quiet today, Tika," Antonio commented. "Maybe being with you isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Antonio…" Tika said and stopped, her eyes fixed on something in front of them. Quicksand.

But unfortunately for Antonio, he didn't speak elephant, didn't get the message, and therefore, sank into quicksand before he knew it.

"How did you get so big? And how did I… What the baloney is this?" He hissed. "Ro-se-lla! HELP ME!"

"Ready? Steady? Pull!" Rosella grabbed Antonio's right arm, Tika grabbed the other, and they both pulled.

After the fifth try, they finally succeeded. The trio sat down and panted.

"I should have warned you about this yesterday." Rosella said, breathing heavily.

"Or 20 minutes ago would have been nice, too." He added.

"Nevermind. You're all dirty. Go bathe by the waterfall." She said, standing up. "I guess the lesson I've learned today is to never, ever leave you alone for more than 5 minutes."

"I hate to say this, but I agree," Antonio frowned and pouted like a child.

The next thing Rosella did was take him to the waterfall and go back to their "camp" to prepare something to eat.

For Antonio, it was nice to enjoy a cold, fresh bath after a long, exhausting day. And so he soaked himself in the water, unaware of the conversation taking place nearby.

"That animal looks familiar."

"He looks like Ro. Hey… Didn't we try to eat one like that some time ago?"

"Two, actually."

"Yes, but Ro stopped us. What a shame. I could have enjoyed them. What do you say? Should we eat him now? He looks rather tasty."

"But Ro said…"

"Ro isn't here now."

And so the trio of crocodiles slithered their way to Antonio. They were looking for dinner, and right now, he seemed to be the perfect meal.

"This is… relaxing… At least there's something good about this honeymoon…" Antonio thought.

Suddenly, he noticed three little islands floating in his direction, then a jaw full of sharp teeth.

Luckily enough for Antonio, he had miraculously escaped the hungry jaws in the last second and run back to the "camp" as fast as he could, climbing up his beloved tree and vowed to never return to the grounds again.

As the sun set in the West, marking the end of their third day on the island, Antonio came to a conclusion: This honeymoon was likely to go to waste if this continued. He had to do something.

"Three down… Four to go. I love spending honeymoon in the wild."

**A/N: There you go. I typed this in a hurry, so it might show. Anyway, I feel like I was neglecting this story too much, so I decided to update it sooner than planned. Liked it? Hated it? Wished it could be better? Now, could you just click that pretty 'review' button right below to tell me?**


	4. The Climax

_A/N: Gosh, it feels like a century since I last updated this story. My apologies to all those faithful readers who keep checking this story and reminding me to update. Well, I was stuck with a bad case of writer's block and decided to work on other projects. But thanks to you, this story is back on track! Hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it!_

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Chapter 4: The Climax

Antonio slowly opened his eyes to see a crystal chandelier that emitted a light so strong it took a minute for his eyes to adapt to it. With his forearm still partly covering his eyes, he took another look. A crystal chandelier, hanging on a white carved ceiling. No. It couldn't be. This was…

He sat up and was surprised to find his excruciating sore back gone. It had completely disappeared. But how? It had tortured him for far too long to just vanish like that. And then he realized why as he looked around and inhaled. The fresh smell of the soft sheets, the crystal chandelier, the large poster bed,…

He was home.

The thought itself sent a feeling of extreme relief and euphoria across his mind. Then his second thought was to get out of bed and go straight to the balcony to enjoy the morning view of the palace courtyard, just like he always did. Antonio flung the covers off his bed and shifted to the side when suddenly, he felt the gravity of Earth pull him downward.

Startled, he grabbed onto the first thing his hands came into contact with and shut his eyes, panting heavily. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself hanging from a tree.

In a blink of an eye, everything was gone. His room, his bed, his home, everything. It was all a dream. He was still on the island, still suffering from the torturous backache, still having to constantly avoid getting eaten by his wife's reptile friends.

He climbed back on the large branch he had been sleeping on before he almost fell down, and mentally cursed himself. He should have suggested a better place to spend their honeymoon, like visiting Queen Marissa in Paladia before Rosella had a chance to propose this idea, because, frankly, he didn't know how much longer he could stay here without going mad.

"I have to admit," He heard Rosella's voice echoing from under the tree. "You have really quick reflexes."

He snorted.

"I'm glad my near-fatal fall amuses you," He replied as he climbed down from his sleeping place.

She chuckled. "Oh Antonio, don't be such a spoilsport. I was giving you a compliment."

He shot her an annoyed look. He hadn't slept for more than three hours a night, had nothing to eat, had to watch his back for carnivores and overall, had a very lousy honeymoon, and there she was, laughing at him, while the whole time he had been suffering was thanks to her brilliant idea to wander into the wild without any supplies.

"Stop it. I've had enough of this for one day." He bluntly told her.

"Oh, alright," She didn't seem to notice his bad mood and proceeded to skip around him cheerfully. "How about we go rock climbing again? I know it didn't work for you the last time, but I couldn't do it the first time, too, so-"

"No. Please. I just want to be alone." He cut her off, waving a dismissing hand. In fact, he'd felt quite grumpy ever since he woke up, and even if he hadn't, he was in no mood for those kind of activities.

"Oh, alright. We'll figure out something else." Rosella said.

Silence. Just as Antonio thought his wife had finally given up and decided to leave him alone, her happy voice spoke again.

"I know! How about we-"

"NO!"

Silence befell them again as Rosella's eyes widened in horror. She had never seen him like this before. Had she said something wrong? Or-

"Antonio? What's the problem?" She reached out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he removed her hand and turned his back on her. But he knew she would not let go without an answer. She would keep nagging him and then would spend the whole day trying all kinds of methods she had learned from the royal therapist on him. Just the thought itself was enough to increase his anger and annoyance.

And before he even started calculating the consequences of his words, he turned around and threw the most hurtful words in her face. 

"What's the problem? _You_ are the problem, princess." He answered curtly.

A look of complete shock, hurt, bewilderment and disbelief spread across her face as she continued to stare at him wide-eyed. "W-Why?"

"It was your idea to come here. It was your idea to throw away our supplies. It was your idea that we did all those 'fun' things that we did. It was your idea that caused me so many sleepless nights. It was your idea that made me a living prey for your friends." He said, his voice raising several octaves, drawing the attention of Tika, Sagi and Azul, who were behind a bush nearby.

"But, Antonio! I thought it would be fun! I thought you were fine with this! I tried to help you!" Rosella continued in a pleading matter, all the while trying to repress her tears. Why did everything turn so bad all of a sudden?

"Then help me by not helping me." He continued. "I swear, this is the last time we're here. I'm not going back to this horrible place."

And with that, he walked off.

Rosella was petrified. Why did he get angry at her? What did she do wrong? She racked through her mind, trying to find a logical explanation, but found nothing. She had tried to help him in every way she could, she really did… He was the one who rejected her help, and now he was mad at her? She felt angry, too. For the first time in her life, she felt angry.

Still, the way he looked at her scared her. He- he wasn't the Antonio she fell in love with. The Antonio she fell in love with would never scold a lady, let alone yell at her and blame her like that. The Antonio she fell in love with would never glare at her as if she were some kind of enemy. The old Antonio would never-

She slumped down on her knees and let her tears win the struggle. She wept like a child. She hadn't wept like this for such a long time, ever since she found herself alone, on the island, with no idea who she was or where she came from. Ten years ago. Her friends had been there for her, had comforted her. Ten years later, the same thing happened, but this time, it stung her much worse. It was like in a moment, her world shattered to pieces. All the hopes and dreams she had put into her marriage burst like a bubble. And this time, there was no one to comfort her. Not like she wanted anyone to, anyway.

"_What is going on? What did I do to deserve this? Why did he treat me like this?"_ She kept repeating those words over and over again to herself. And for the first time, she began to doubt her marriage to Antonio would last.

.

"Ro!" Tika whispered as she watched her best friend from a distance. She wanted to run to her, wipe away her tears and tell her everything would be alright, but for some reason, Sagi insisted that they stayed in their place, hidden to Ro's eyes.

"Why don't we reveal ourselves? She obviously needs us! I can't just stay here and watch like this!" She told Sagi, who was still busy watching the girl behind bracken leaves.

"Hm. Wait a bit." He told her, not sparing her a look.

A moment of silence passed before Azul broke the awkward staring contest between him and Tika.

"I knew this was going to happen." He said, shaking his head in an 'I told you so' manner.

"It's just a misunderstanding." Sagi said, ignoring Azul's remark. "With a little effort, I'm sure we'll be able to help them understand their differences and reconcile."

"I think Ro is better off without him," Azul continued with his negative comments. "We all are. He disturbs my beauty sleep, he disrespects me and mocks me, and he's always making a fuss about everything! I do not like him."

"But Your Highness…"

"No buts. Have you noticed the man always brings her heartbreak? First with that princess, now-"

"Enough!" Tika cut him off. She had had enough of fighting. Now all she wanted was to see her best friend happy again, even if it meant trying to get her to make up with the very man who stole Ro away from her. "Who are you to decide her life? They love each other, and I'm going to help them, with or without your help!"

They both looked at the elephant, surprise apparent in their eyes. Then Azul sighed.

"Alright," He reluctantly gave in. "But if this brings more trouble, it's your fault, Tika."

.

_P/S: The tension reaches its climax! For those who were wondering why Antonio acted to rudely to Ro, please put yourself in his shoes. Being sleep (and food) deprived for four days is no joke. It's taking its toll on him, and Ro happened to 'mess' with him in the most inappropriate moment. Just put yourself in each character's situation and you'll be able to understand their actions. That's it for now. Hope you all enjoyed it, and please leave your thoughts!_

_Until next time!_


	5. Salvation

_A/N: The long-awaited update is here! I wonder if anyone still remembers this story, though. As always, a huge thank you to those who keep reminding me to update, and I really hope you enjoy this chapter!_

Chapter 5: Salvation

"Tell me, what changed your mind?"

"Huh?" Tika, caught off guard by Sagi's question that seemed to stem from nowhere, answered absent-mindedly as her mind was still focusing on whatever plan she was devising in her head. "What do you mean?"

"Let's be honest with each other," The red panda elaborated further. "You never liked the prince. You never liked the idea of Ro getting married. After the wedding, it didn't take more than three days for you to start hating him again. Now suddenly, you want to help them reconcile. What changed your mind this time, Tika?"

"Well…" Tika trailed off, remembering the time Antonio confided in her about his fears of losing Ro again, about his anxiety that she might eventually prefer living in the wild over the civilization. After that time, she had been able to see things more clearly. She had been able to see things not only from Ro's perspective, but also from Antonio's. And for the first time, Tika realized just how much the prince loved Ro. He also wanted her to be happy… She loved Ro, too. She couldn't hate someone who loved Ro. In a way, he and Tika were more alike than they liked to think they were. After all, Tika had gone through all the worries and fears Antonio was going through.

"I… I think I understand now," She finally replied. "I don't want to admit it, but I was wrong. Again. Ro needs the prince to be happy, and he needs her too. I'm going to help them. And this time, I'm not going back on my words again."

"But aren't you afraid Ro won't love you anymore?" Sagi asked with a meaningful look on his face.

"No. She is my Ro and I am her Tika. We'll always be friends. No matter what happens."

Sagi smiled. He had been testing her reaction, and it seemed like the baby elephant finally understood and came to an acceptance of Ro and Antonio's prince. Finally.

"How long do you think this will last?" Azul asked.

"What will last?"

"Tika's supportive attitude. I bet it won't last past Sunday." The peacock teased.

"Azul!" Tika exclaimed, exasperated. "I'm serious!"

"Hm… I don't know. Might as well prepare myself for another series of mood swings, Tika." Azul continued, completely ignoring Tika's last statement.

"Azul!"

-x-

After their fight, Antonio had wandered off to the other side of the island. But as his anger diminished, his guilt over hurting Ro's feelings increased. How could he be so insensitive and cruel to her? After all, she had only been trying to help… At least she _tried_ to help, he thought bitterly. Back when she was staying in the Palace greenhouse, he didn't really do anything to help her readjust to civilization. All he did was pressure her to "sail away with him" to who knows where, conveniently neglecting his duties as the crown prince. The more he thought about everything, the more he realized how unworthy he was of her. And after everything, he still had the guts to yell at her. On their honeymoon no less. Perfect.

He had to do something. Fix the situation before it turned from bad to worse. Apologize. Try to adapt. Make her a hut out of leaves. Dance around the bonfire screaming like a savage. Anything but sitting here and pitying himself.

He already knew the first thing on the to-do list: Try everything Ro had tried, unsuccessfully, to help him accomplish in the past few days.

Which also meant more rock climbing, vine swinging and showering in the waterfall without shower milks and towels, risking being eaten by hungry crocodiles.

But he had to do this. He'd basically master pretty much everything about being Tarzan, and then come back to her with a grand romantic apology. Or something like that.

Yeah. Sounds like a plan.

-x-

Ro was still sitting where Antonio had left her hours earlier, replaying every single event in her mind while mindlessly picking island roses and weaving them into a crown. Once in a while, she would sigh and stop her work before resuming again. _What had just happened?__, _she wondered, bewildered. Antonio had just lashed out at her for trying to help and make their trip more enjoyable to him. Why was he angry at her? Did she do something wrong?

And most importantly, why was he making such a big fuss over everything? Wasn't he used to living without the comfort of home?

Tika watched her from a distance, unsure of what she should do. On one hand, Ro didn't look like she wanted company. On the other hand, standing there would be awkward and create an impression that she was being clingy and disrespectful of personal barriers or something. So Tika took a step, then halted, and then took another.

That was enough for Ro to notice her. The island princess turned her attention to Tika, and as always, put on a smiling façade to greet her friend.

"Tika!" She called. "What are you doing? Come here."

The elephant did. When she reached Ro's side, the girl began in a happy tone, one she always used whenever she was trying to hide her real emotions or forget about an upsetting experience. Tika knew. Tika had lived with Ro long enough to know.

"It's alright, Ro; you don't have to pretend to look happy. It'll make you more miserable. Just let it out. I promise I won't say anything." Tika said.

Ro's face immediately fell, and she sighed again. "You saw it too?"

Tika's silence was enough confirmation for her.

"I… I don't want to admit this, but…" She said, exasperated. "I'm not sure anymore."

"Not sure about what?" Tika couldn't help but ask.

"About…" Ro gestured her hands wildly to seemingly nothing at all. "…this. All of this. Our marriage, you know. We're too different. It's only been four days ever since our wedding day and we're already fighting. I don't know how long this will last."

"It's just a misunderstanding, Ro."

"He lashed out at me, Tika. He got angry with me. He spoke to me as if I was some despicable person, as if I was his enemy. He was so, so different from the Antonio I fell in love with."

Tika couldn't help but laugh a little. She had forgotten just how childish and overdramatic Ro was at times.

"Ro, I'm pretty sure he didn't mean it. Don't get me wrong, I still don't like him, but he really does care about you." Tika reassured her friend.

Taking Ro's silence as an encouragement to continue, she did "He told me that he was afraid of losing you. That someday you'd choose this life over the life with him. And I realized I kind of felt the same way when we first arrived in his kingdom. I was also afraid you'd choose Apollonia over me. It's understandable, Ro."

Ro remained silent as she processed the idea. Indeed, she had never seen the situation from this perspective before. Suddenly, she felt a little bit guilty for blaming Antonio. Maybe he didn't really mean to-

"But still, he got angry with me." Ro pouted.

Tika laughed. "Ro, why did you forgive me for what I did back then?"

Ro didn't need to be reminded of the specific events that took place. She answered almost instantly.

"Because you're my family and I love you."

"Well then I see no reason for you to keep holding a grudge against him," Tika said, preparing to leave. "Give him another chance, like you did to me."

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?" Ro called after the retreating form of her elephant friend.

"Swimming with Azul. If you sort things out with him before tomorrow, we might consider letting you join us." She said playfully, then disappeared behind the bushes.

Left alone, Ro contemplated Tika's words. She sat there, in silence, for a long time. Finally, she stood up, and made her way back to their camp spot as the sun began to set.

-x-

_P/S: No more updates until I get at least chapter 6 of The Hotel Room done. That is my final schedule. Just thought I should let you know._


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